Fractionation device and method for employing the same



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FRACTIONATION DEVICE AND METHOD FOR EMPLOYING THE SAME 2a) Filed Nov.26, 1934 i Mr:

6 4 Z 4 Z l i 29 /4 i E /4 V fW/lll J W1 A 7 i i INYENTEIRS C-A.E|ENNETT[3-E-EAUE BY ATT DRNEY If). I L. 1 1 .5 I{ I. retina-gums,

Patented May 28, 1935 UNITED STATES 3cm km PATENT OFFICE FRACTIONATIONDEVICE AND METHOD FOR EMPLOYING THE SAME Application November 26, 1934,Serial No. 754,830

1 Claim.

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 3700. G. 757) This application is made under the act of March 3, 1883, asamended by the act of April 30, 1928, and the invention herein describedand claimed may be manufactured and used by or for the Government forgovernmental purposes without the payment to us of any royalty thereon.

We hereby dedicate the invention herein described to the free use of thePublic, to take effect upon the granting of a patent to us.

Our invention consists of an improved fractionation device to be usedfor fibrous material such as seed cotton and lint, whereby wastematerial and other foreign substances may be separated from the saidfibrous material by introduction, within its mass, of a directed streamof air or vapor under pressure. The foreign and waste substancesseparated from the fibrous material are directed toward a series ofscreens of various mesh, for fractionation and collection, according tothe size of their individual particles.

The object of our invention is to provide a device, not actuated bymechanical means, for rapid separation of a sample of fibrous material,of substances heavier and/or greater in bulk than its individual fibers,and also fly or dust-like waste substances contained therein; andsegregation and collection of these waste substances according to theirrelative bulk. A further object of our invention is to provide automaticand continuous means for prevention of clogging the separator screens bythe felting action of the fly. This felting action causes erroneousdeposition and collection of waste particles on the various screensurfaces not in accordance with their respective bulk and the relativesize of screen mesh.

In order to carry out the purposes of our invention, reference is to behad to the peculiar combination and arrangement of parts as shown in theaccompanying drawing, being a preferred embodiment of our invention,forming a part of this specification, in which similar numerals refer tosimilar parts throughout the several views.

Figure I is a rear elevation of our device.

Figure II is a vertical section through the fractionation cylinder.

Figure 111 is a top view of the fractionation cylinder.

Figure IV is a partial section of a screen ring.

A wide mouthed preferably transparent vessel I, having its upper endsealed, is mounted on cylinder 2 by means of gasket 3 and yoke clampassembly 4-5. Recessed cross-bar I spans the interior of cylinder 2beneath gasket 3. Concave circular baflle plate Ii is attached tocross-bar I by means of screw 8. The diameter of baflle plate 6 isslightly less than the internal diameter of vessel I, and the bore ofcylinder 2.

Air injector tube 9, with its inlet 9', in section A of cylinder 2,passes through cylinder 2 beneath baflle plate 6, and has its orifice Ilocated eccentrically in bafile plate 6.

Cylinder 2 is divided vertically into two sections A and B,respectively, with its vertical edges lined with gaskets I I. Section Aof cylinder 2 is fastened at its lower end by means of bolts I2 to thebase plate I3. Sections A and B of cylinder 2 are held together by hingeand locking means I4. Recesses I encircle the interior walls of cylinder2.

Base plate I3 has a central air outlet I6. Screen trays II, of varyingsize mesh, are removably mounted in recesses I5, and are arrangedtherein according to fineness of their mesh. Screen tray I I having thecoarsest mesh is placed in the uppermost recess I5.

Screen trays I1 have a supporting ring which comprises two ring segments[9.

Ring segments I9 have a groove 20 and chamfer 2| formed thereon.

The peripheiy of screen ring I8 has a duct 22 formed therein, whichconnects with groove 20 at the juncture of ring segments I9. Screen ringI8 carries a pin 23 which is adapted to seat in pilot hole 24 inrecesses I5.

Screen cloth 25 is clamped between ring segments by means of screws 26,with grooves 20 and chamfers 2| adjacent.

Chamfers 2| are hermetically sealed by means of solder 21, or othersuitable material, at the periphery of screen ring I8.

Boss 28 is disposed vertically on the exterior wall of section A ofcylinder 2, with an air duct 29 formed therein. Duct 29 has an intake 30located in base I3.

Air duct 29 is connected to ducts 22 by means of cross-air ducts 3|.

Pins 23 in combination with pilot holes 24, located in recess I5 ofsection A of cylinder 2, permit alinement of air ducts 22 with cross-airducts 3|.

Pin screw valves 32 control the fiow of air from air duct 29 to grooves20 in screen rings I8.

Our invention may be practiced by first placing screen trays IT, in theorder above described, in recesses I5 within cylinder 2 of section A,and alining ducts 22 with cross-air ducts 3|.

Section B of cylinder 2 is then closed and sealed with section A bymeans of gaskets II and hinge and locking means I4. A desired quantityof fibrous material is then placed on baffle plate 6. Vessel I is thenplaced open end downward on gasket 3 and held in place on cylinder 2 bymeans of yoke clamp assembly 4-5. Air under pressure is admitted throughtube 9 and directed into vessel I by means of orifice ID. The current ofair on leaving orifice l0 contacts the fibrous material on baflie plate6, causing it to rotate in a curvilinear and/or swirling motion and tobe violently propelled against the inner walls of vessel I and baflleplate 6. The resultant permutations and combinations of action ofcentrifugal force, air propulsion, and beating against the edge ofbaffle plate 6, causes the particles of fly and waste, or foreignmatter, contained in the fibrous material to be dislodged from theenmeshing fibers of the sample. The particles of matter thus liberatedare carried in suspension by the moving air current.

The current of air escaping from vessel l passes downward, around, pastand beneath the periphery of baffle plate 6, enters the interior ofcylinder 2 and thence passes through the series of screen trays I'I,fitted in recesses IE, to emerge at air outlet IS.

The particles of fly, waste, or foreign matter, held in suspension bythe downward moving air current, become deposited on the successivescreen cloths 25 of screen trays I! in accordance with their respectivesize.

Ordinarily the finer particles of fly or lint, carried by the downwardmoving air current, adhere to the surfaces of the screen cloths forminga felt thereon. This felting action interferes with the passage throughthe upper and coarser mesh screen trays, of subsequent fine particles offly, foreign and waste substances carried by the downward moving aircurrent, preventing proper segregation and collection of the particleson the lower and finer mesh screen trays.

The formation of an undesirable felt on the screen trays II duringoperation of our device, is overcome by passing air under pressurethrough duct 29, thence through pin screw valves 32 to cross-air ducts3|, thence through ducts 22 and into grooves 20 of screen trays I'I. Atthe points of intersection of the warp and woof strands of screen cloth25, clamped between ring segments l9, the thickness of the screen clothis greater than the diameter of the warp or woof wires, respectively.The distance between ring segments I9 is greater than the thickness ofthe individual strands of wire forming the screen cloth, therebypermitting the passage of air, under pressure, from annular chamber 20into the interstices between the intersections of the strands of screencloth 25 and thence across the upper and lower surfaces of screen cloth25. Since the chamfers 2i formed in the periphery of screen ring l8,with the exception of the induction port 22, are hermetically sealedwith solder 21, or other suitable material, the air admitted to annularchamber 20 can emerge only into the interstices between the strands ofscreen cloth 25. The current of air escapes from grooves 20 into theinterstices between the strands of screen cloths 25, then sweeps acrossthe upper and lower surfaces of screen cloths 25, and passes downwardthrough the interiorof cylinder 2 emerging at air outlet I 6.

It is obvious the cross currents of air sweeping the surfaces of theindividual screen trays agitate the substances deposited thereon,prevent clogging and formation of a felt on the screen surfaces, andpermit passage through upper and coarser mesh screen trays of fineparticles of matter for segregation and collection by the lower and finemesh screen trays.

It is also obvious each or any number of the screen trays may have thesubstances deposited therein agitated at will by manipulation of pinscrew valves 32, controlling the volume of air admitted to grooves 20.

It should be understood that reasonable modifications may be made in theconstruction and positioning of the bafiie plate 6, tube 9 and screentray assemblies l1, I8, l9, without departing from the spirit of ourinvention.

Having thus described our invention, what We claim for Letters Patentis:

In a device of the character described, comprising a base having anexhaust port formed therein; a vertical sectional cylindrical chamberhingedly connected and provided with locking means with one of itssections aflixed to said base; a boss having a duct formed therein andintegral with the outer wall of said affixed section; said duct havingits induction port in said base, and a plurality of valve controllededuction ports formed in the interior walls of said afiixed section;said chamber having horizontally encircling recesses formed on its innerwall and abutting said eduction ports; a plurality of circularbisectioned trays, comprising screen cloth, and an induction port formedon the periphery thereof and communicating with a channel havingeduction ports formed in the interstices of said screen cloth; means onthe periphery of said trays for preventing leakage of air; means foralining, and means for slidably mounting said trays within said chamber;a circular concave bafile plate, of lesser diameter than the bore ofsaid chamber,

detachably mounted on the upper end thereof; an

inductor tube having its eduction port terminating at an openingprovided off center in said baflle plate and having its induction portformed in the wall of the affixed section of said chamber; a dome-likesubstantially transparent receptacle with a diameter substantially equalthe bore of said chamber and adapted to surmount said baffle plate, andmeans for detachably mounting said receptacle on said chamber.

CHARLES A. BENNE'I'I'. GEORGE E. GAUS.

